Reclining-chair



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) H.YW. 8a H. H.FLEBR.

RBGLINING CHAIR. No. 556,343.` A Patented Mar. 17,1896.

Figi.

Q/@weooe Jr. W* Fleer om@ JMW (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. W. 8v H. H. FLEER.

RECLINING CHAIR.

No. 556,343. Patented Mar. 17,- 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

HERMAN IVILLIAM FLEER AND HERMAN HENRY ELEER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RECLlNlNG-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,343, dated March17, 1896.

Application filed August 16, 1895. Serial No. 559,485. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HERMAN WILLIAM FLEER and HERMAN HENRY FLEER,citizens of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inReclining- Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

Our invention has relation to improvements in reclining-chairs forrailway-cars; and it consists in the novel arrangement and combinationof parts more fullyset forth in the specification and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention, showingthe chair in a re-V clining position. Fig. 2 is a rear view of thereclining back with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a middle verticalsection taken through the back and seat, the chair being shown in itsnormal or erect position. Fig. 4 is a top plan view witli' the severalcushions removed and with the seat-frame swung back. Fig. 5 is a detailin side elevation of the operating or supporting arms for the seat-frameand the parts co-operating therewith. Fig. 6 is a transverse section ofthe extensible frame located below the seat-frame, taken on the line maofFig. 7.; andFig. 7 is a section on line y g/ of Fig. 6.

The object of our invention is to construct a reclining-chair for carswhich can be adjusted or made to assume any convenient position to suitthe person or passenger occupying the same, such adjustments beingeffected without the use of springs, but solely through the medium ofvarious levers and their co-operating elements.

In detail the chair may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings, l represents a pedestal which receives thepivot 2 about which the chair-frame or body portion 3 of the chairrevolves. The side-arm supporting frames 4 may either be formedintegrally with the chair-body or secured thereto by screws, as shown,the side arms 5 being formed preferably integrally with said frames 4.Between the upper adjacent surfaces of the said arm-supporting frames 4'are pivoted the lateral members 6, forming part of the frame of thecushioned back 7, the members G extending a suitable distance beyond thepivotal points and forming arms 8, to the free end of each of which ispivotally secured a connecting-bar 9, whose opposite or farther end ispivotally secured to an operating-arm 10, pivoted at one end to theinner surface of the frame 4, said pivotal connection between the bars 9and the operating-arms 10 bei-ng in proximity to the pivotal point ofthe latter. (See Fig. 5.) Vhen the back of the chair is reclined, asshown in Fig. 1, then, from the several connections so far disclosed, itis obvious that the arms 10 will be swung open, their free ends restingagainst the front transverse member 11 of the chair-body. IVhen the backis tilted to its normal position, as seen in Fig. 3, the arms 10 will beclosed or inclined inwardly, the path or sweep of the free ends of thesame being that of the arc of a circle. During the sweep of the saidarms in one direction or the other the free engaging ends 13 of the samepass under the reversely-ourved bases of the side bars 14 of theseat-frame 15, which is also pivoted along the inner surfacesof theframes 4 adjacent to the pivotal points of the back.

IVhen the back of the chair is in its normal or erect position, as seenin Fig. 3, the engaging lends 13 of the arms 10 engage the notches 16formed at the base of the compound basal curve of the lower surface ofthe bars 14, supporting said seat-frame 15, as seen in said figure in anelevated position. Vhen the back is reclined, as seen in Fig. 1, thecompound curvature at the base of the bars 14 permits the engaging endsof the arms 10 to sweep along said curve, first raising the seat-frame,as seen in Fig. 5, and gradually lowering or letting down its free endto its lowest position, as seen Figs. 1 and 4-that is to say, allowingit to rest upon the extensible frame carried by the chair-bodyunderneath the seat-frame-and to be now more particularly described.

Carried by or supported at the free ends of they pivotal pins whichsecure the bars 9 to the arms S are the lateral members 17 of anextensible frame located between the seatframe and thesupporting-surface of the base IOO of the chair-frame. To preventbinding of the parts the pivotal pins carrying the ends of the members17 pass through elongated slots 18 formed in said members to allow forthe circular sweep of the pins during the tilting of the back of thechair. The forward end of the extensible frame of which the members 1 7form a part rests normally on the supporting-surface of the base of thechair-frame 3. The members 17 have each formed therein along their uppersurface a bevel-groove 19 for the reception of a terminal tongue 2O of asliding extension or platform 21 adapted to support a foot rest orcushion 22. A portion of the inner wall of the groove 19 is cut away,leaving the terminal inner end of the bottom of the groove without aninner side wall, as shown at 23, the object of this construction beingto allow for the ready engagement of the sliding extension 21 with theextensible frame-that is to say, to allow the tongues 2O to be rstbrought into proper alignment with the grooves 19, when the platform maythen be drawn out at the pleasure of the passenger. The platform orextension is limited outwardly by the terminal wall 24 of the groove,Fig. 7. The extension is provided with a suitable handle 25, by which itmay7 be seized and manipulated.

)Vhen the chair is in its upright position, as seen in Fig. 3, and theextension 21 is shoved back in its grooves, the seat-frame 15 is mainlysupported by the arms 10, the forward or free end of the said seat-frameresting on the terminal lips 26 of the extension, which lips serve toretain the cushion 22 in place. lVhen, however, the extension is drawnout to its full extent, (see Fig. 1,) then the free end of theseat-frame rests upon the upper surface of the extensible frame of whichthe extension forms a part.

Formed in the lower side members 27 of the chair-frame are slots 28,which serve to support and guide the lateral supporting-pins 29 of abottom platform or foot-rest 30 for the person occupying the seatbehind, said rest being supported at its free end when in positionwithin the chair by the pockets 31 formed at the rear ends of themembers 27. The footrest can, of course, be drawn out rearwardly to anyextent, the terminal walls 32 of the pockets serving to support saidrest in any position to suit the convenience of the passenger.

Along the outer edge of the back 7 we secure two rods or guideways 33and 34, respectively, the sides of the guideways being substantiallyparallel, as seen in Fig. 2, the parallelism continuing to a suitabledistance upward from the points of fastening of said rods to the sidesof the back, when the loop of the guideway or rod 34 is graduallydepressed below the loop 33, making the line of connection between thetwo guideways more and more inclined as it approaches the top of therespective loops, the shortest distance between the two wires, however,remaining the same throughout their full length. The guideways or loopsserve to support in any adjusted position a suitable head-rest 35, thelatter bein g secured to the guideways by the side lugs, 3G, whichembrace the loop 33, and a central extended lug, 37 ,which embraces thewire 34, the head-rest being adapted to be slid along the wires to anyadjusted position, when the same can be permanently fastened by abindingscrew 3S carried by the lug 37. It is apparent from thedisposition of the wires that the head-rest will be variably inclined tothe general surface of the back as said rest is moved along theguideways, varying from an inclination that approximates a right angleon the sides of the chair to approximately one hundred and eightydegrees when moved to the top of the back of the chair. (Compare Figs. 1and 2.) These various inclinations of the head-rest are desirable inorder to accommodate the head of the passenger occupying the chair, whofor convenience can shift the headrest to any desirable position.

From the bottom of the chair-frame depend two lugs 39 from which extendsa foot-operated lever 40 having a rear extension or arm 41 controlled bya spring-plate 42, the free end of the extension co-operating withnotches 43 of the pedestal and locking the revolving chair in anydesirable position. To turn the chair to another position, the operatordepresses the lever 40 with his foot, releasing the extension fromengagement with its notch, when the chair can be turned to the positioncorresponding to any succeeding notch with which the spring-plate 42will cause the arm 41 to engage upon the release by the passenger of thelever 40.

The back 7 is limited in its reclining position by the lugs 43' of theframe with which the arms 8 come in contact. (See Fig. 1.)

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In areclining-chair, a suitable tilting back, arms pivoted at one end to thechair frame or body, connecting bars between said arms and the lower endof the tilting bac-k, a pivoted seat-frame adapted to be engaged by thefree ends of the said arms when the back is in its normal position, anda suitable extensible frame below the seat-frame for supporting thelatter when the back is in its reclined position, substantially as setforth.

2; In a reclining-chair, a suitable tilting back, arms pivoted at oneend to the chairbody, connecting bars between said arms and the tiltingback, a pivoted seat-frame having side bars provided with a basalsurface of compound curvature, a notch at the base of said surfaceadapted to co-operate with the engaging end of the pivoted arms andsupport the seat-frame when the back is in its normal or erect position,and suitable means for supporting the free ends of the seat and the armswhen disengaged from the seatframe, substantially as set forth.

3. In a reclining-chair, a suitable tilting IOO IIO

back, an eXtensible frame having lateral inemy bers carried by the lowerend of said back, suitable terminal slots in said members and pinscarried by the back to effect a pivotal connection between these parts,dovetail grooves formed in the lateral members, a suitableextension-platform, basal tongues carried at one end of the extensionadapted to co-operate with the grooves, the inner walls of the groovesbeing cut away a portion of their length for the reception of thetongues, means for limiting the outward movement of the extension, andmeans for limiting the tilting of the back, substantially as set forth.

et. In a reclining-chair, a suitable back, guideways carried by the samealong the top and sides thereof, a head-rest adapted to be moved alongsaid guideways the latter being adapted to give the said rest variableinclination relative to the general surface of the back in its pathalong said guideways, and means for retaining the head-rest in any ofits adjusted positions, substantially as set forth.

5. In a reclining-chair, a suitable back, guideways or wires secured tothe back in the form of loops, said wires being substantially parallelto one another from their securingpoints to a suitable distance alongthe loops, then receding from each other so that one loop is depressedbelow the other, and a suitable head -rest adapted to slide along saidguideways, substantially as set forth.

6. In a reclining-chair, a tilting back, a pivoted seat-frame,intermediate connections between the back and seat-frame for controllingthe latter, and an eXtensible frame connected to the back and adapted tosupport the seat-frame when the back is in its reclining position,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof We afIiX our signatures in presence of twoWitnesses.

HERMAN WILLIAM FLEER. HERMAN HENRY FLEER. IVitnesses:

E. STAREK, ALFRED A. MATHEY.

